Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

January 31, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. EST


The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department is departing after a clash with allies of billionaire Elon Musk over access to sensitive payment systems, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks.

David A. Lebryk, who served in nonpolitical roles at Treasury for several decades, is expected to leave the agency soon, the people said. President Donald Trump named Lebryk as acting secretary upon taking office last week. Lebryk had a dispute with Musk’s surrogates over access to the payment system the U.S. government uses to disburse trillions of dollars every year, the people said. The exact nature of the disagreement was not immediately clear, they said.

Officials affiliated with Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” have been asking since after the election for access to the system, the people said — requests that were reiterated more recently, including after Trump’s inauguration. A spokeswoman for DOGE declined to comment. Lebryk could not be reached for comment late Thursday. When Scott Bessent was confirmed as treasury secretary on Monday, Lebryk ceased to be the acting agency head.

Typically only a small number of career officials control Treasury’s payment systems. Run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the sensitive systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion annually to households, businesses and more nationwide. Tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people across the country rely on the systems, which are responsible for distributing Social Security and Medicare benefits, salaries for federal personnel, payments to government contractors and grant recipients and tax refunds, among tens of thousands of other functions.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/01/31/elon-musk-treasury-department-payment-systems/

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No paywall (gift) although this article claims "no subscription required".

[BootinUp]

1. What could go wrong. /sarcasm

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Openly planning to raid the Treasury

[Irish_Dem]

5. Largest heist in US history and they don't bother to hide it.

Brazen criminals who are untouchable.

[atreides1]

7. They'll blame the Chinese

Wasn't China just recently accused of hacking into the US Treasury system? Re-direct the cash to an offshore account and then put the blame on China.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Maybe China already took some of the US treasury.

Musk will get the rest.

But yes Trump and Musk will blame everyone else.
Hillary took it in her emails at the pizza parlor.

[Justice matters.]

20. $wastimuska will use it to boost his $DOGE sh*t

Sending 10 people to die on Mars is expensive.

[NotHardly]

17. THIS

[mchill]

3. Given the monetary promises made

In these “Fork in the Road” emails coming from DOGE to incentivize Federal employees to quit, this is worrisome.

[LymphocyteLover]

25. worrisome to say the least IMO

[Irish_Dem]

4. THIS is what Musk wants. Direct access the federal gov't money spigot.

This is his main goal.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. And, it is not just his goal!

If those sub-human swine get their greasy hands on that information, there will be no money left in the entire federal government within six months.

Which is just what they want. Any takers on the bet as to how long after they raid our entire government that they will be slowly making their exit to the next gullible nation? Any comment, Germany? It seems you guys are in the 'planning stages' right now.

Let's hope that the German people prove to be less gullible than we did.

(I wish I knew how to put italics and such in the title. It never works for me. Grrr.)

[Irish_Dem]

12. The billionaires and criminal politicians have just pulled off the heist of the century.

Maybe the biggest heist in human history!

[OldBaldy1701E]

27. Yup!

They are not in the clear yet, but we seem fine with letting them get there.

[Irish_Dem]

28. A crime syndicate does not break into a bank just for fun.

They are headed for the vaults.

[LymphocyteLover]

24. THIS SHOULD BE THE TOP STORY EVERYWHERE AND NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION

[Irish_Dem]

26. The media is in on the heist.

Champaign corks are popping.
Crime of the century all legal.
No one can or will stop it.

[LymphocyteLover]

32. WTF? Aren't they getting screwed too?

[Irish_Dem]

33. They do the job they are paid to do.

No more, no less.

Their paychecks arrive on time.

[LymphocyteLover]

40. everyone needs the government to function somewhat, to regulate banks and deposits and the money supply

not to mention social security, medicare and medicaid

[Buns_of_Fire]

8. archive link:

https://archive.ph/i6GJw

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Thanks!

[Mawspam2]

9. Your External Revenue Service in action.

[Kid Berwyn]

11. Goldfinger would be amazed.

President Musk didn’t need a Chinese army to knock off Fort Knox.

[travelingthrulife]

14. The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. George Washington

This is a great way to celebrate the upcoming anniversary of our country. Shut it all down.

Can we deport Musk for illegally obtaining his citizenship yet?

[Stargazer99]

15. Looting of your taxpayers hard earned money and blaming the powerless in our financial system

just watch you well trained by power and wealth

[DV1]

16. The skim.

They were considering this back when Mnuchin was presiding. Trump was out after first term so nothing came of it. Now they're trying to do it again. It won't be a heist, too obvious. They're going for a skim.

[LymphocyteLover]

23. I WISH it was just a skim. I fear the worst.

[SpankMe]

18. They're going to sabotage it. n/t

[James48]

19. This.

He’s going to steal every penny the USA has, in an instant.

We can all see the robbery as it is happening.

Isnt it bizarre?

[LymphocyteLover]

22. DO REPUBLICANS EVEN GIVE A SHIT????

[LymphocyteLover]

21. America-- YOU'RE IN DANGER GIRL

THIS STORY IS BEYOND SCARY

[bucolic_frolic]

29. So they won't have to go through Congress to stop payments

They can just announce they're stopping payments until $3 trillion is saved, and then turn it over to AI payments.

And thumb their noses at Congress and the public.

[intrepidity]

30. This seems really important. nt

[LeftInTX]

31. I come here to see the news everyday, just to see how crazy it is. Then I go crazy.

[BumRushDaShow]

34. When I click on a news source

I am now in the "So what fresh level of hell am I going to see..."

[LeftInTX]

36. I try not let it get to me, because that's what they want!

[BumRushDaShow]

37. Oh I know

Thankfully I had a million hours of federal law/regulations training (required annually) before I retired so I have an idea of what is legal or not. But it's unfortunate that there is this "delay" by the media to actually ask some legal experts in federal administrative law to include FACT CHECK info for their articles rather than them just regurgitating the crap for days before finally walking it all back.

[BumRushDaShow]

48. I would almost call it that

although I think it more doing "an extreme stress test" of our current governmental system and we are sortof stuck waiting for the courts to put the kibosh on the ridiculous EOs (which it is slowly doing).

[BumRushDaShow]

50. Well remember that the SCOTUS only spends time on less than 1% of the cases that come before them

so in most cases, whatever the Appellate Court rules is what will be the "final" outcome. That is why Biden was trying to get the Appellate vacancies filled as much as he could. I don't think the SCOTUS is going to micromanage what will be an avalanche of suits.

[LiberalArkie]

51. But in the past when an appellate court ruled in favor or something the supremes did not like they jumped in. Right.

I can't remember the appellate courts ever have a ruling stand that Roberts did not like.

Correct me please.

[BumRushDaShow]

52. The current cases that have been filed

have avoided some of the egregious Circuit Court districts like the 5th & 11th.

I think the SCOTUS might "boost" some of 45's mess eventually but when it comes to "financial" stuff, I doubt they are ready for an overthrow (because that could impact them).

[LiberalArkie]

53. In cases around the world, like Thailand. The courts stayed like they were as long as they were compliant.

The judges not so compliant were naturally replaced when they suddenly resigned,

[LetMyPeopleVote]

35. It would be dangerous to give musk and tfg access

[bronxiteforever]

38. This is a holy f**k moment!

[orangecrush]

39. The headline SHOULD READ

"Musk planning to stop Social Security payments".

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

45. Does dipshit Musk have a security clearance?

Or did they just ignore it like they did Jarvanka.

[Autumn]

46. Yes he does. And the brASS at the Pentagon defer to him.

Don't expect any help there.

[electric_blue68]

47. Geeeeebz Throw this Ubergreedy, Cruel Effer Out of our Country NOW!

[nuxvomica]

54. They are literally planning to sack the treasury

If they have control of the payroll systems, what's to stop them from funneling it all into their own pockets? This is what the oligarchs do in the end stage of empires. I don't think I'm overreacting; it just seems that way because we've been under-reacting for so long.

[alarimer]

55. Why do these cowards always QUIT?

Why don't they stay and at least be an obstruction? "Gee, I cant seem to find the password to that account. Ooops, guess I'm locked out for the next little while".

I mean at least make them fire you.

[Hitorque]

56. Jesus Fucking Christ...

It's been 11 GODDAMNED DAYS and I'm already up to here with Donnie's clownshow...

Who the hell voted for this bullshit??